Avatar: The Legend of Three Orphans
by Buckminster Rules 777
Summary: Three children, Phoenix, Bao, and Mei-Xing, are basically orphaned, considering the fact that their father turned out to be a murderer. Will they be able to escape?
1. Chapter 1: Murder!

"Bao! Let's help mom with Mei-Xing!" I suggest.

"Alright, Phoenix," My brother agrees. My name is Phoenix. My dad named me, while mom named my twin brother, Bao. We are ten years old. Mei-Xing, our little sister, is three. We run to where mom is tending our little sister. "Mom! Do you want help?" We ask simultaneously.

"Well, actually I need some stuff from the garden. I can't leave Mei-Xing for that long," mom suggests.

"Sure!" we shout and run to the garden.

An hour later, we see our father, Feng, as we are getting back with the vegetables. Dad is arguing with our mom, Hua, over something that I can't recall. When mom and dad see us coming, they stop arguing. Dad takes the vegetables while mom takes Mei-Xing. That night, after dinner, we both go to bed.

An hour after bed, we wake up to the sounds of a struggle. Bao and I run out of our room. We hear a pained shriek. When we reach the living room, we gasp. We see mom, still and covered with blood. She's dead! We look up and see father clutching a bloodied knife in his hands. I run away to my sister's room and take her. I meet Bao when he is running away. We take Mei-Xing and disappear from my father's clutches.


	2. Chapter 2: New Friend

It is the day after mom's death. Bao and I walk on a long dirt road. Mei-Xing is asleep in my arms. No matter how much we try to deny it, dad will come after us. We know that he will. I try not to let Mei-Xing in on our fear. She needs to feel safe. I stop. I think that I just heard a branch crack. Bao and I turn around to see father standing there. I clutch Mei-Xing tighter and we run through the forest. Mei-Xing wakes up and starts to cry. I comfort her. We find a hollow log and hide her in it. Then, we turn and prepare to fight father.

Iroh's POV:

I walk through the forest, scrubbing at my eyes when they blur. I had only lost my son, Lu Ten, two weeks ago. I still feel that pain. I should've helped him! I continue to walk when I hear screams of pain. I run to the source and see two figures crumpled in the dirt. There is a larger figure above them. The larger one has smoke coming from his fist. The bigger one turns away from the two and runs off. When he disappears, I race over to the two injured beings. I turn them over and see the large burn marks on each of their chests and arms. "Waaaah!" I lift my head to the sound of a child's cries. I walk over to the hollow tree and gaze inside it. There is a child of around three years old. She stops crying and gazes in awe when she sees me.

"Stay away from her!" One of the children shouts from behind me. I turn and see the child leaning on a nearby tree.

"What is your name?" I ask.

"I am Phoenix! Who are you? What are you doing here?" Phoenix asks.

"My name is Iroh. I came from the way of Ba Sing Se. Who is he?" I ask.

"That's my twin brother, Bao. My sister, Mei-Xing, is over there," Phoenix indicates the small three year old.

"Phoenix, you're injured. Come here. I will help you," I say.

"No. Help Bao first," Phoenix replies.

"Alright," I agree. I take out some bandages and burn salve. I walk over to Bao and wake him up. After explaining everything, I rub the salve on him. I wrap the bandages over his wound. Afterwards, I turn to Phoenix and do the same. "Phoenix, I am planning on returning to the Fire Nation. Would you, Bao, and Mei-Xing like to come with me?" I ask.

"Sure!" Phoenix replies. Phoenix, Bao, and Mei-Xing lay down and fall asleep almost instantly. I thank the spirits for my good fortune before I join them in sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Talk of Ambush

Phoenix's Dream:

 _I am running. It's dark. His shadow comes over me. He's holding the bloody knife. I see my mom's dead eyes. I scream. He's coming closer and closer. There's no way out. I call for help, but nobody comes. He raises the knife, ready to strike…_

"Wake up! Wake up!" Iroh calls. I open my eyes wide and gasp for breath. I feel myself shaking. There are tears in my eyes. "Phoenix, don't worry. It was just a dream. It'll be alright," Iroh says.

"No, it wasn't just a dream. Father killed mom. I dreamt about it," I explain. My tears start to fall. Suddenly, I am in Iroh's arms, sobbing like a small child. Iroh holds me close to him while I cry. I have never felt so saddened in all of my life. Eventually, my tears start to die down. I pull myself out of Iroh's embrace and rub my eyes.

Iroh takes my face in his hands. "I'm sorry that you had to feel this loss. I know how it feels. My son, Lu Ten, died in war two weeks ago," Iroh says.

I look down. "I'm sorry," I reply. I hadn't known about his son.

"That's alright. Now, why don't we get a little more sleep?" Iroh suggests.

"No. I can't sleep. That's where the past finds me. I don't want to have more nightmares," I say.

"Not sleeping isn't good either, Phoenix. You need sleep," Iroh says. Seeing my fearful look, he continues. "How about this. You can sleep next to me. I promise I will help you if you have another nightmare."

"Alright," I agree. We lay down next to each other and fall asleep.

One hour later, I wake up to the sound of rustling in the bushes. It is still dark. I look around. Someone is in the bushes. I know we are being watched. "Iroh! Iroh, wake up!" I whisper, shaking him awake.

"Phoenix, what is it?" Iroh asks.

"We're being watched! I bet it's father," I answer, lowering my head.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Why would you think that your father would follow you like this?" Iroh asks.

"He's the one who killed mom. He was also the one who burned us," I answer with tears in my eyes.

Iroh's own eyes widen. He takes my shoulders and pulls me into an embrace. The tears flow faster. I sob loudly into his chest. A branch snaps in the distance. I whirl around. My eyes widen in horror and fear.


	4. Chapter 4: Capture

Father is there. He isn't alone, either. Hundreds of others are with him. They approach us. Before we have time to think, they seize us and knock us out.

When I wake up, my head aches. I raise myself slowly off the floor. Iroh is sitting in the middle. Bao and Mei-Xing are nearby. I crawl over to where Iroh is sitting. "Where are we?" I ask.

"I don't know, Phoenix. We were all knocked out," Iroh answers.

The door opens and four armored guards come through. One of them grabs my arm. I squeak in fear. He pulls me out into the hallway. We go to a room at the end of the hall. The guard pushes me through it and slams the door shut. I look up and see father standing above me. "Hello, Phoenix," father says.

"F-father?" I stutter.

"Who else would be here, you snot-nosed brat!" Father shouts.

"Why?" I ask.

"You and your brother ran away, Phoenix. Did you really think you could escape me?" Father asks.

"Of course we can escape you. You're nothing but a black-hearted coward!" I shout.

"You will regret ever escaping me!" Father yells. He moves his arms. Lightning forms at the end of his fingertips. I barely have time to scream before the pain meets me.

An hour later, I wake up to hands grabbing my arms. I yelp in pain. The guards drag me back to the cell. They open the door and throw me in. When I hit the floor, I whimper. The door slams shut behind me. Iroh runs over to me. He turns me over and gasps. A star shaped burn mark covers most of my chest. "Phoenix, what happened?" Iroh asks.

"F-father. He did this," I answer. Iroh touches the burn. Tears spring to my eyes when he makes contact with my burned flesh.

"I'm sorry, Phoenix," Iroh says.

"It's alright," I reply. My breath is coming in ragged gasps. The room spins. My eyes flicker. I blink twice before I pass out.


End file.
